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NCP leader Anil Deshmukh walks out of jail, slams ex-top cop Singh, Vaze

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Former minister and senior Nationalist Congress Party leader Anil Deshmukh on Wednesday hit out at the former Mumbai Police chief Param Bir Singh and sacked cop Sachin Vaze for making false allegations against him that led to his incarceration for nearly 14 months.

“I was jailed on the false allegations levelled by Param Bir Singh and Sachin Vaze. That same Singh later told the probe panel that his statements were based on rumours or hearsay and he had no evidence against me,” said Deshhmukh, 73, who walked out of the Arthur Road Central Jail here on bail.

He pointed out how the Bombay High Court judges had also taken note of this and observed that Singh’s statements could not be relied upon.

“Similarly, Vaze had a criminal bent of mind, he was suspended thrice from the Police Department by the Maharashtra government. He was involved in the planting of the explosive-laden vehicle outside the Antilia Building (the residence of industrialist Mukesh Ambani),” said Deshmukh.

Even on Vaze’s role, the high court had made observations that his statements were unreliable, and there was no basis to the allegations hurled against Deshmukh.

“On the basis of these baseless accusations, I had to undergo nearly 14 months in jail. However, I have full faith in the judiciary and I thank them. I also thank (NCP supremo Sharad) Pawar Saheb and his family, all other leaders and the entire party for having faith in me and standing behind me solidly throughout this ordeal,” said Deshmukh with folded hands.

Leader of Opposition Ajit Pawar – who flew down in a special government flight from Nagpur, leaving the Legislature Session, flanked by his cousin and MP Priyaya Sule, NCP President Jayant Patil, senior leader Praful Patel, ex-ministers Dilip Walse-Patil, Chhagan Bhujbal, MPs and MLAs, accorded a rousing welcome to Deshmukh.

Pawar, Patil and Bhujbal said that they were “extremely happy” that their close associate and senior leader Deshmukh was finally set free from jail where he was kept in fake cases out of vendetta.

After the Bombay High Court on Tuesday refused to entertain a plea by the Central Bureau of Investigation to extend the stay on its order granting bail, the road was clear for Deshmukh’s release, said his lawyers Aniket Nikam and Inderpal Singh.

A single-judge vacation bench of Justice Santosh Chapalgaonkar declined to entertain the CBI plea against the backdrop of the regular court’s previous order that no plea for further extension of custody will be entertained, thus paving the way for his release.

When Deshmukh stepped out of the jail gates around 4.55 p.m., sporting his trademark dark waist-jacket and white kurta-pyjama, he was greeted with loud cheers, clapping, garlands and showers of flower petals by the hundreds of NCP activists and top leaders waiting for nearly two hours for his exit.

Deshmukh’s family members were also seen, smiling but with tears of joy streaming down their cheeks, along with close associates and other well-wishers.

Many NCP activists, men and women were seen dancing, a band played drums to salute the end of his incarceration and others distributed sweets on the road outside the ARCJ.

Seeming overwhelmed at the unexpected tumultuous welcome, a cheerful but weary Deshmukh initially folded his hands in acknowledgement at the gathering, initially declining comments.

Later, at the prodding by NCP leaders and the media, he stepped onto an open vehicle and gave a few bytes on his long jail sojourn, as other party leaders listened attentively.

Trailing a motorbike rally, Deshmukh later went for darshan at the famed Siddhivinayak Temple in Prabhadevi in a procession of several vehicles with activists waving NCP flags, and thereafter he is likely to call on Sharad Pawar.

Similar joyous scenes were witnessed at Deshmukh’s Nagpur residence with hundreds of supporters and party workers dancing with joy, sprinkling the celebratory red ‘gulal’, distributing sweets, as they watched the live telecast of his release in Mumbai.

Maharashtra

Maharashtra Assembly Elections 2024: Congress Alleges Discrepancies In EVM Numbers In Mira Bhayandar

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Questioning the sanctity of the election process and accuracy of election results which are to be declared on counting day scheduled on Saturday (23, November), the Congress party has alleged discrepancies in the number of votes polled at various booths in the Mira Bhayandar (145) assembly constituency.

In his letter to the returning officer, Congress leader-Anil Sawant who was the election representative of MVA candidate- Muzaffar Hussain pointed out mismatch of 386 additional votes between the data in form 17-C and figures generated by the electronic voting machines (EVM), even as clarity eludes actual figures at some of the other booths.

Seeking an official explanation from the returning officer, Sawant has also alleged that the mock drill votes were also included in the polling figures. According to the figures released by the returning officer, the constituency recorded a voter turnout of 51.75 percent as 2,64,534 out of the 5,10,862 voters exercised their franchise.

However, form 17C shows a count of 51.67 percent which translates into a difference of 0.08 percent (386 votes) on the higher side. Moreover, the complainant has also raised a serious question mark on the delay in publication of the figures of the postal ballots.

While form 17A is used to record the details of every voter who comes into a polling booth and casts his/her vote, form 17C is an account of all the votes recorded. Under Rule 49S(2) of the Conduct of Elections Rules-1961, a presiding officer is mandated to furnish a copy of the entries made in form 17C to the polling agents of the candidates at the close of polling.

7C is crucial as the voter turnout data in this form can be used to legally challenge an election result. The Congress party is expected to take an aggressive stand if the anomalies are not rectified before the counting process.

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Maharashtra

Ex-NCB Officer Sameer Wankhede Moves Bombay HC Seeking CBI Probe Against NCP Leader Nawab Malik

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Ex-NCB Officer Sameer Wankhede Moves Bombay HC Seeking CBI Probe Against NCP Leader Nawab Malik

Mumbai: IRS officer Sameer Wankhede has moved the Bombay High Court, seeking a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) or court-monitored probe into an FIR he filed in 2022 against former state minister and NCP leader Nawab Malik under the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. Wankhede, an Additional Commissioner in the Directorate General of Taxpayer Services (DGTS) and a member of the Mahar Scheduled Caste, alleges that the police’s inaction in the matter has caused him and his family significant mental distress and humiliation.

On August 14, 2022, Wankhede filed an FIR with the Goregaon police station against Malik. Malik has neither been arrested in the case, nor has the chargesheet been filed in the case till date. 

Former NCB zonal officer, who shot to fame after arresting actor Shah Rukh Khan son, Aryan Khan, in the 2021 Cordelia Cruise drug bust case, had also arrested Malik’s son-in-law Sameer Khan. 

Wankhede has alleged that after Sameer Khan’s arrest, Malik launched a sustained campaign to defame and humiliate him and his family on social media and television, targeting their caste and questioning the authenticity of Wankhede’s caste certificate. 

The officer had earlier filed a complaint with the Scheduled Caste Commission in October 2021, seeking action against Malik. 

Despite a restraining order issued by the High Court in a separate defamation suit prohibiting Malik from making defamatory remarks, Wankhede claims Malik continued to violate the order, including questioning the validity of his caste certificate as recently as on October 27, 2024. 

A caste scrutiny committee has since upheld the authenticity of Wankhede’s certificate in a detailed 91-page report.

Malik Influenced State Police To Delay Probe: Sameer Wankhede

Wankhede alleges that Malik has influenced the state police to delay the investigation. He points out that critical provisions under the SC/ST Act have yet to be added to the FIR despite multiple reminders to the Goregaon police. “Respondent No. 2 (Malik), with his muscle power, influence and money power is controlling the state police machinery and continues to commit further offence, this can be overtly witnessed as how the Accused (Malik) is openly giving interviews to various media platforms and us wandering freely and yet no arrest is affected despite being no protective order,” the petition, filed through advocate Sana Khan,  read.

Wankhede seeks the court’s direction to transfer the investigation to an independent agency or the CBI, ensure the addition of necessary provisions under the SC/ST Act, and order the submission of a detailed report on the investigation’s progress.

Wankhede has also highlighted a similar FIR filed by his cousin, Sanjay Wankhede, which has faced the same lack of action. He contends Malik’s actions are politically motivated, aimed at influencing voters before elections.

The petition is likely to come up for hearing on November 28. 

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Maharashtra

Maharashtra Assembly Elections 2024: Mumbai Sees Marginal Rise In Voter Turnout, Suburbs Lead At 56.39%, City At 52.65%

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The voter turnout figures released on Thursday by the BMC indicated a low turnout in the city during the November 20 assembly election. In Mumbai city district, voter participation stood at 52.65%, while the suburban district saw a slightly higher turnout of 56.39%; both figures are marginally higher than 2019.

In Mumbai city, which covers 10 constituencies, there are a total of 25,43,610 registered voters. Of these, 13,39,299 cast their ballots. The male voter turnout was 52%, with 7,10,174 out of 13,65,904 male voters participating. Female voters turnout was lower at 53%, with 6,29,049 women out of 11,77,462 voting. Additionally, 76 voters from the “other” category cast their ballots out of 244 eligible voters.

The lowest voter turnout in Mumbai city was recorded in Colaba, with just 44.44%. Other areas with low turnout included Mumbadevi (48.76%), Dharavi (50.03%), Malabar Hill (52.53%), and Byculla (53.02%). In contrast, Mahim saw the highest voter participation at 59.01%, followed by Wadala (57.67%), Shivadi (55.52%), Sion Koliwada (53.56%), and Worli (53.53%).

In Mumbai suburban, which encompasses 26 constituencies, the voter turnout reached 56.39%. There are 76,86,098 registered voters in this district, with 43,34,513 casting their votes. Among male voters, 57% participated 23,58,589 out of 41,01,457, while 57% of female voters also voted 20,33,654 out of 35,83,803. Additionally, 270 people from the ‘other’ category voted out of 838 eligible individuals.

The lowest voter turnout in the suburban district was seen in constituencies such as Vandre West (51.36%), Versova (51.44%), Mankhurd Shivaji Nagar (52.14%), Kalina (52.68%), and Chandivali (52.97%). On the other hand, the highest turnout was recorded in constituencies like Bhandup West (62.88%), Borivali (62.32%), Mulund (61.42%), Ghatkopar West (59.99%), and Ghatkopar East (59.58%).

Several constituencies in Mumbai witnessed a significant rise in voter participation compared to the 2019 assembly elections. In Andheri West, the voting percentage jumped from 43.52% in 2019 to 53.67% in 2024; a rise of over 10%. Versova’s turnout rose from 42.38% in 2019 to 51.44% this year, while Mulund saw an increase from 53.81% to 61.42%. Vandre West’s turnout also grew substantially from 44% to 51.36%, with a similar trend in Goregaon (from 46.44% in 2019 to 55.61% this year) and Shivadi’s 49.33% in 2019 to 55% in 2024.

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